Virgil van Dijk insists he wants to be part of ‘big transition’ at Liverpool

Virgil van Dijk has paid tribute to Jürgen Klopp and insisted he wants to be part of the “big transition” that will take place at Liverpool following the German’s departure from the club.

Klopp has two games remaining as Liverpool manager – away at Aston Villa next Monday before what is sure to be an emotional occasion at Anfield for the visit of Wolves on the final day of the Premier League season.

No doubt there will be tears in the stands as Klopp says goodbye after eight-and-a-half hugely successful, and transformative, years on Merseyside, with his exit inevitably leading to speculation about the future of his players.

Come the end of next month, Van Dijk will have 12 months remaining on his current deal and, having been at Liverpool since January 2018, he could be forgiven for feeling the time would be right for him to also depart.

The club captain suggested as much shortly after Klopp announced in January that he was leaving at the end of the season, saying the decision had raised a “big question” over his own time at Anfield. 

The 32-year-old soon made clear that he was happy to remain in situ and reiterated that stance following Liverpool’s 4-2 victory over Tottenham on Sunday.

“The focus is now on the last two games and then the club will focus on who the new manager is and there will be a big transition and I am part of that,” said Van Dijk.

“There is nothing for me to discuss [regarding my future] because there is no news. Like I said, I am very happy here, I love the club and you can see that as well. It’s a big part of my life already.

“There will be a lot of changes happening and I wouldn’t say scary is the right word, but it is quite interesting and exciting what will happen now. So let’s see.”

Van Dijk